Going Home

Going Home, by Morris Robinson (Decca Records). Gospel.

Robinson--a former all-American football star and onetime bouncer--presents his placid, operatic bass voice in a series of widely varying but highly listenable settings. The piano-framed "Walk with Me" suggests a Joe Sample jazz arrangement, with Robinson's voice playing off of swirling guitars, sleigh bells and Hammond organ. "Go Down Moses" takes a different turn, orchestrated like a stage musical--but is hardly overblown as it glistens with bitter-sweetness. And in "Take My Mother Home," Robinson simultaneously sounds as if he's singing comfort at the bedside of an ailing family member and boldly praising the Lord.

Reviewed by Louis R. Carlozo, entertainment editor and staff writer at the Chicago Tribune. He is also a record producer and a studio musician.

COPYRIGHT 2007 The Christian Century Foundation
COPYRIGHT 2008 Gale, Cengage Learning